“Do Nothing” Liberals Would Scrap North East Link

Matthew Guy and the Liberals have turned their back on Melbourne’s north-eastern suburbs, confirming today that a Guy Liberal Government would scrap the long-awaited North East Link.

In an interview on ABC Radio today, Liberal Leader Matthew Guy confirmed that a government he leads would not build North East Link – the missing link in Melbourne’s ring road.

FAINE: If you’re elected, will you sign those contracts? [for the North East Link]

GUY: No.

The $16.5 billion North East Link is the biggest transport project in Victorian history.

It was rated as the most urgent road project in the state by the independent Infrastructure Victoria.

It includes a massive expansion of the Eastern Freeway from Springvale Road which will connect to a five kilometre tunnel that completes the ring road at Greensborough.

Right now, local roads across Melbourne’s north eastern suburbs are gridlocked with traffic rat-running between the end of the M80 and the Eastern Freeway. The North East Link will fix it, and return local roads to local residents.

It will create 10,000 jobs, remove 15,000 trucks off local streets, and take 9,000 vehicles off local traffic hotspots like Rosanna Road.

Planning for the North East Link began in December 2016, with the Victorian Budget 2018/19 providing an additional $110 million to fast-track the project ready to go to market within 100 days of a re-elected Andrews Labor Government.

Matthew Guy has today confirmed that the North East Link will only be built if Labor is re-elected.

Quotes attributable to Minister for Roads Luke Donnellan

“Mathew Guy has told everyone in the north east to get trucked – admitting that under the Liberal Government Rosanna Road, Lower Plenty Road, and Fitzsimmons Lane will stay grid-locked forever.”

“Only Labor will build the North East Link – to take thousands of trucks off residential streets and give local roads back to local residents.”